Tradewinds 2 Review

Tradewinds 2 is as close as you’ll ever get to being a brave sea captain, marauding pirate, or humble servant on the iPhone. This trading game uses simple rules of the market to immerse players in an adventure spanning numerous ports and hazardous seas. Easy to use touch controls and a cheery soundtrack add to the atmosphere of 17th century commerce. With many characters to choose from, and several game modes, Tradewinds 2 won’t soon leave you bored.

As one five premade characters or an unlockable customized character, each having their own background and plot, you embark on a quest that leads form port to port. The main object of this game’s story mode is to gather your fortunes, following the plot to the end. The most important aspect is money; buy low and sell high. One port’s market will be selling one of the many objects for one price, and another market buying for a higher price. This is how you make your millions, which is needed for ship upgrades, weapons, and bribery. Its not always as simple as just selling though, some ports will confiscate your cargo if it is not permitted there. Each port also has a bank and a lender. The banks pay a small percent interest on your money, where the lender collects much more over time, if you don’t pay back your debt.

Not settling on just being a strategic marketing game, Tradewinds 2 has battles galore. On your routes between ports sail bloodthirsty pirates waiting to send you to a watery grave. Luckily your ship comes equipped with cannons, and space for chains, flaming pots and mystical tiki bombs. Sea battles are often key plot points, and sometimes used to liberate an entire port. At times the challenge may seem too difficult, and a new ship is in order, which can be annoying if you don’t have he money.

The characters and storyline are very interesting, if a little cliche. The governors that you do tasks for are often humorous and crazy, making each visit fun, and almost never get old. I found myself playing for more than an hour at a time, trying to just make a million more, or complete just one more mission. This is made fairly simple with touch controls; just tap a port to sail there, or a ship to attack it. When you finally do meet your demise, you’ll be awarded a rank, and how long you’ve been playing for.

Tradewinds 2 is an excellent strategy game for the iPhone, bringing combat and commerce together in perfect balance. A pleasant soundtrack and rich graphics make it even better, keeping me trading for hours. It’s no surprise to me that it has climbed so quickly in the iPhone App Store ratings. If you’re a fan of time management games, or pirate battles, then this title is worth checking out.

This sounds like a lot of fun. You’re right in that we all love to be pirates sometimes. I actually wish this game was available in a different platform other than the iPhone. I’d like to see it on Wii, for example.